5 fitness trends that’ll boost your rest days

With some careful thought, downtime can be boosted with these five tips and tricks:

1. Roll it out

You might have seen people using foam rollers in the gym, or had them recommended to you by fellow fitness fans. This fitness trend might look odd, but don’t knock them: they’re great for massaging your muscles and getting you ready for your next workout. Concentrate on rolling out key areas of stress – upper back, quads and calves – before moving onto smaller muscles.

2. Time it right

If you’re keen for a boozy blowout on your rest day, a little planning will go a long way. Your testosterone can drop by 23% for up to 16 hours after alcohol intake, so we recommend training later in the day after a big drinking session.

3. Get frisky

You’ll like this one: sex is great for muscle growth. So why not fit some naughtiness into your rest day – it’ll give you a natural shot of dopamine, and boost your testosterone levels as much as a work out which’ll encourage muscle growth. Better still, sex reinforces your immune system, so you’ll be fighting fit by your next work out. Nice!

4. Power down with protein

Give your body all the fuel it needs to get ready for your next gym session. There are a few easy ways to do this: take casein protein powder to slowly release into your body. For a cheaper option, tuck into a few spoons of peanut butter. Or, if you fancy treating yourself, tuck into steak on your rest day to make the most of yesterday’s workout. For maximum results, aim for 1.5g of protein for every kg of your bodyweight.

5. Stay calm with carbs

Protein’s only half the story, though: to really ace your rest day, make sure low-GI carbs are on the menu. These should make up 40% of your intake for the day, in order to properly restore your glycogen levels.

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